By Muslim Muhammad Yusuf
In an event to mark the Children’s Day, 14 year-old Chinemerem Esther, a student of Junior Secondary School, Kubwa, on Tuesday took over as the one-day CEO of Connected Development (CODE), a non-governmental organization that promotes transparency, accountability, education, and civic engagement across Nigeria.
Esther’s appointment was part of CODE’s initiative to amplify children’s voices on issues affecting their lives, particularly the growing number of out-of-school children in the country.
In her inaugural speech, Esther passionately called on Nigerian leaders to prioritise children’s education and ensure no child is left behind.
She emphasised the right of every child to quality education and expressed concern about the millions of Nigerian children who remain out of school.
“We deserve a chance to learn, dream, and contribute meaningfully to our society. It is unfair that so many of us are denied this right because of poverty, insecurity, or negligence,” Esther said.
CODE’s Chief Executive, Hamzat Lawal, who handed over the mantle to Esther for the day, acknowledged the urgency of the situation.
He pointed out that Nigeria has nearly 20 million out-of-school children, the highest figure in the world, describing the situation as unacceptable.
Lawal recalled CODE’s success in Adamawa State during a three-year campaign that led to the passage of a local law prohibiting child marriage and child hawking during school hours.
“As a people and as a country, we have failed Nigerian children, that failure includes me, the government, the media, civil society, and the private sector. To reverse this crisis, we must institutionalize a national action plan focused on children. If we don’t care for them today, they will become our problem tomorrow.”
CODE’s Deputy-Director on Community Engagement, Mukhtar Modibbo noted that while there have been numerous government interventions, systemic issues continue to plague Nigeria’s education sector.
Modibbo called for the urgent amendment and implementation of the Universal Basic Education Act to ensure free and compulsory education for all children, lamenting the ongoing teacher strikes in Taraba State due to unpaid entitlements, which have left thousands of primary school children at home for month.
“You can’t celebrate Children’s Day with empty promises while children remain out of classrooms and teachers are owed billions,” he said.
The event, which was held at CODE’s Abuja office on Tuesday, brought together children, educators, civil society actors, and policymakers to reflect on the state of education in Nigeria and the collective responsibility to fix it.
